The Tulancingo Valley is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Hidalgo, in the eastern region of the country. It is recognized for being a textile area, being one of the most important places in Mexico dedicated to the production of wool.
Its name is derived from the Nahua roots Tule or Tular and Tzintle, which means 'In the tular or behind the tule'. This term is according to its hieroglyph, which presents a bunch of tulles hiding an Indian. This is reflected in various codices, such as the Mendocino Codex.
View of the Tulancingo Valley Source: Gerardo Perea Nieto
Other authors consider that the correct translation is 'the little tollán' since the name would be a derivation of other terms Tollan and Tzingo.
It was founded by the Toltecs and later inhabited by the Chichimecas. It is the seat of Huapalcalco, seat of the second Toltec Empire and one of the oldest sites in America, with cave paintings more than 12 thousand years old.
It was also the place of origin of the wrestling champion and actor, "El Santo", one of the most famous in Mexico and an icon of 20th century culture.
General characteristics
It is located about 119 kilometers from Mexico City and has an area of 290.4 square kilometers, which represents 1.4% of the state of Hidalgo. The Tulancingo Valley is made up of 7 municipalities: Acatlán, Acaxochitlán, Cuautepec de Hinojosa, Metepec, Santiago Tulantepec de Lugo Guerrero, Singuilucan and Tulancingo de Bravo.
It has a temperate climate and an average annual temperature of 14 ° C in the spring time. It is the geographical region with the highest altitude in the state of Hidalgo, between 2,200 and 2,400 meters above sea level.
The region is made up of tertiary and quaternary volcanic rocks, of varied composition, because it is part of the so-called Neovolcanic Axis. In its topography it presents a semi-flat surface, cut by ravines, ravines, hills and volcanoes, among which the Tezontle, Cerro Viejo, Napateco and Las Navajas stand out.
Customs and traditions
Tulancingo Cathedral Source: es
The main festival in this city of Hidalgo is the Annual Fair of Tulancingo, which takes place between July 26 and August 6. It is a mainly commercial, agricultural and industrial event that has achieved national renown.
The celebration of Holy Week usually also stands out in this eminently Catholic entity. Special mention should be made of the commemoration of the second Friday of Lent, the fifth Friday of Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Glory Saturday and Easter Sunday, as well as the processions that go from the Church of the Angels to the Cathedral.
Other popular customs are usually on Thursdays, which are related to the barbecue, since in all the neighborhoods of the tianguis of the city they usually eat grilled meat tacos. Occasionally, in the Jardín de la Floresta festivals are held in which tamales, lamb consommé, belly in red mole and chinicuiles sauce are eaten.
Gastronomy
Product of the mixture of techniques, products and culinary bases, the gastronomy of Tulancingo shares roots with regions such as the Pulquera Plateau, the Mining Region and the Sierra de Tenango.
His dish par excellence is the turkey, which is made up of a cake fried in butter with a filling of refried beans, green enchiladas and chopped boiled egg. Various versions of this original recipe have come out over time, such as the one in which cooked eggs are substituted for chicken.
Another typical food is the tulancingueñas, which are nothing more than corn tortillas with cheese and ham that are bathed in green sauce and cream. In addition, the molotes, corn chips stuffed with potatoes, beans or meat and the alberjón fillings known as tlacoyos stand out.
Tulancingo also presents exotic alternatives such as escamoles and chinicuiles. The first are ant roe and the second are red caterpillars, usually toasted or fried.
In this culinary trend, magüey worms, chicharas, xamues, acociles, grasshoppers, sometimes in sauce or just golden and sometimes as taco filling, also stand out.
The fame achieved by the cheeses and dairy products produced in the region is national in character, especially the oaxaca, enchilado, double cream, cottage cheese, manchego or cream.
As for the typical Mexican stews, they have their regional touch that makes them stand out from the rest. Examples of this are the tray enchiladas, which are served extended instead of folded; the fried esquites instead of boiled and the ground guacamole instead of being crushed.
Economic activities
This city has 4 predominant economic sectors: manufacturing industry, retail trade, and temporary accommodation services and food and beverage preparation.
Tulancingo came to be recognized as the first plains textile center in Mexico, highlighting the production of yarns, fiber fabrics and especially wool. However, this activity has been seriously affected in recent years for different reasons.
For enjoying important tourist attractions such as archaeological monuments, religious and civil architecture, as well as agricultural exhibition fairs, the city is made up of some 13 lodging establishments in addition to the complementary services of the sector to cater to those who wish to visit it. Hotel occupancy is estimated at 39.83%, Regarding agricultural production in this area of the state of Hidalgo, there are cyclical crops such as corn, barley grain, beans, wheat grain and forage corn, as well as perennial crops such as nopal from Las Tunas, green alfalfa and Prairie.
With regard to livestock activity, it is characterized by being a breeding region for sheep, cattle and pigs, as well as being a producer of milk and cheese.
It is worth mentioning the timber forest exploitation, in which pine, oak and oyamel are mainly obtained. Finally, the artisan production is characterized by the carving of clay, earthenware, brick, cobblestone pieces, goldsmiths and quarry sculptures.
References
- Tulancingo de Bravo. Encyclopedia of the Municipalities of Mexico. Mexico: National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development. 2005. Original archive for 2011, June 17. Recovered from web.archive.org/
- Tulancingo. (2019, August 20). Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Recovered from es.wikipedia.org
- Encyclopedia of Municipalities and Delegations of Mexico. (sf). Tulancingo de Bravo. Recovered from inafed.gob.mx
- Escamilla, F. (2018, March 21). The Bravo of the gastronomy of Hidalgo. Recovered from criterionhidalgo.com
- Pricetravel. (sf). Tulancingo de Bravo, Mexico. Recovered from pricetravel.com.mx
- Ávila, G. (2017, November 11). Almost half of the population in Tulancingo is dedicated to commerce. Recovered from criterionhidalgo.com
- Caballero, JJ (2017, March 15). Gastronomy of Tulancingo. Recovered from nqradio.com